Of all the crazy people in the world I chose you
by ohmypreciousgirl
Summary: In which Felicity's home becomes Oliver's safe haven. Or five times Oliver came through Felicity's window when he felt distressed about his life and one time he came just to be with her.


**Notes:** Title based on the Brazilian song "De todos os loucos do mundo" by Clarice Falcão. Name of chapter based on a verse from "Jump then fall" by Taylor Swift. I wrote this before 2x01 was out, so not canon compliant and only based on the trailer of S02 and my wishful thinking. Weird enough, a few stuff that I chose to do happened on the episode. God exists. Also, I want to say a big 'thank you' to mchriste22 and dedication2em. Reviews are really appreciated :)

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_I. I got the keys to you_

Felicity stares at herself in the mirror on her bedroom wall. She sees a woman with shadows under her eyes, a grim expression on her face that matches her serious clothes, dull glasses frames and straight hair. She looks very different from the woman she was a little more than a year ago. There had been a time in her life when she'd gotten enough sleep and led a normal life, without any kind of violence, death or conspiracies threatening to destroy half of the city. The most peculiar thing about her life had been herself – the quirky clothes, bright makeup, colored glasses and her inclination to babble inappropriately when she got nervous.

She wonders if she'd known how much her life would change when they first met, if she would still have helped him.

She shakes her head. Of course she would. He had her the moment he said 'Felicity Smoak? Hi, I'm Oliver Queen' followed by the most ridiculous lie she'd ever heard. Her partnership with Oliver had been inevitable, now that she thinks about it. She felt drawn to him when they first met and there was no way she could have pulled away after he'd invited her to be a part of his crusade – even if she'd wanted to at first. He'd dragged her into his world of personal vendettas and justice, only to disappear into the night after killing the mastermind behind the city's destruction, leaving her and Diggle to deal with the aftermath.

At first, she'd been angry at him, but after a few weeks her anger had become worry and she'd decided to look for him. Within a week, she'd found him. No one disappeared without leaving traces, after all. She'd let him be for a couple of months before she'd decided it was time for him to stop brooding and come home. The city needed the Hood back. His family had already lost him once; it was unfair of him to disappear on them again and this time because he wanted to.

And she had missed him – probably more than she should have.

Felicity had felt accomplished for managing to find him on that hellish island and drag his sorry ass back to Starling City – with Diggle's help, of course. It had been truly awful to be attacked in the middle of a business meeting, but it had been good to show him how necessary his vigilante role was.

Suddenly, she is startled by the loud tapping sound coming from her window. She spins around quickly, her whole body immediately tensing. When she sees it's Oliver, she crosses her bedroom in a few steps so she can open the window for him.

"I'm not even gonna ask," she says as she lets him in. He's dressed as Hood, she notices. He holds the specially designed bow she ordered for him and notices that the quiver is half empty.

Felicity watches him scan her room with interest. She realizes this is the first time he has ever been inside of her house – her bedroom, actually. The implied intimacy of the idea makes her anxious and she fidgets with her hands, growing agitated by his silence. He eyes her pink bean bag chair and looks back at her with a raised brow and a twitch in his lips, a sure sign that he's amused by her choice of furniture. Any other night, she might have babbled about bright ironic decorating choices, but she's so tired that she chooses to remain silent and wait for him to explain what the hell he's doing, crawling inside through her window so late at night.

In silence, she sits down on her bed and looks at him. He sighs and locks his eyes onto hers.

"I don't want to be the vigilante anymore."

_Not this again_, she thinks, rolling her eyes.

"Even after you saw the state of our city, after we were attacked in the middle of our business meeting, do you still think we don't need the vigilante?"

"I don't want to be that man anymore," he confesses as he rubs his forehead like he has a migraine. Felicity can sympathize with the feeling.

The thing is, she understands what Oliver means. She understands that he made several decisions as Hood that he regretted later. She knows he carries guilt inside himself that predates the Hood. Seriously, she's sure he could explode from all the guilt if it was scientifically possible. Oliver's greatest flaw is his insistence on taking responsibility of other people's mistakes, as well as his own.

He blamed himself for Laurel's sister death even though Merlyn had been the one responsible for sabotaging the boat, even though Sara had _chosen_ to be there with her sister's boyfriend.

According to Diggle, psycho ex Helena had lost her mind long before she'd met Oliver and rejected his attempts to guide and train her. She hadn't wanted to be helped or saved.

Sure, McKenna getting hurt had been a tragedy, but she'd signed up to be a cop. She'd known the risks and if she'd wanted safety she could have chosen other career path that didn't involve fighting crime. It was too bad that she'd been Oliver's girlfriend at the time, thus making her a target for Helena. It just made Oliver feel more hurt and responsible.

Tommy's death had been an unfortunate consequence of his father's horrible plan. Oliver had done everything he could to stop it and, even then, he felt as it hadn't been enough. True enough, for months Felicity had blamed herself as well for not having foreseen what Malcolm would do, but then she realized how illogical that thought was.

She likes to think that she's a rational woman; that she doesn't let her feelings consume her and make her accept blame for things she isn't responsible for. She accepts that it wasn't her fault so many people died that day. She'd done her best with the little information she'd possessed at the time.

She believes that and maybe, someday, she can help Oliver realize that he isn't the one to blame for all the wrongs of other people or his parents, nor is he a god that controls everything and can save everyone. That the only thing he does that truly matters is the fact that he tries to help. He tries to make a difference. Even committing mistakes, he became a hero of his own brand. She thinks it makes him a good person, not a criminal.

"I know you made some bad decisions as the Hood, but you still did a lot of good things. You saved many lives, Oliver. The bad things don't erase the good. Don't make everything you did as Hood something bad because it wasn't."

They look at each other for a few moments and he opens his mouth like he wants to say something, but she cuts him off.

"You don't want to be the Hood anymore? I can accept it," she smiles softly at him, his expression confused as he probably recalls shouting match that morning when she told him she couldn't respect the fact that he wasn't going to do the Hood's job anymore. "Start anew. Upgrade your status of vigilante. Become someone better."

He frowns. "I can't do that."

Felicity nods her head. "You can."

"Felicity, I…" he stops talking as she moves closer to him.

"I believe in you, Oliver," she says, her eyes never leaving his, trying to make her point and determined to make him believe in her. "I believe in the good you do."

Oliver just stares at her and doesn't say anything. Stunned by her words, he barely moves. Her gaze falls to his mouth as he bites his bottom lip, making her mimic his move. When her eyes lock with his again, she sees they are gleaming in a way she has never seen before. She hopes that look means she's getting through him. He averts his eyes, looking down.

"You're not responsible for other people's actions," she says as she reaches out to tip his head so he would meet her gaze. "You were trying to fix their wrongs and that's makes a difference," she whispers as one of her hands cups his face. "You're using your life to help people makes you better than most. You're trying," she smiles at him as her thumb is gently stroke his cheekbone.

Oliver watches her so intensely that she can feel her cheeks getting warm. She looks at her hand on his face and swallows. She's too close, she shouldn't have done that. She gives him a weak smile and removes her hand, retreating from him. She can feel the awkwardness in the room when an idea strikes her.

Felicity turns around and walks toward her closet. She knows exactly what can help.

As she opens the door of her closet and looks at the shelves above her, she can already see the black box. She gets on her toes and grabs it. She takes a deep breath before turning around.

"I was going to give you this for your birthday, but there's no time like the present," she explains as she hands him the package. He puts his bow at his feet before he takes the box from her. Felicity chokes back a giggle at the obvious curiosity on his face. She watches him open the box's lid and his eyes widen in surprise. He pulls out a green arrow made of metal and he looks at her in confusion. She laughs softly.

"You know how I told you that I ordered this expert to design a bow especially for you?" he nods and she continues. "Well, I asked him to make an ornament too, preferably in green because I know how fond you are of the color as you chose it for the head of your arrows and everything."

She sees a smile forming on his lips as he looks at the arrow fondly, touching the shaft of it as it was something he could break if he held it wrong.

"To me, your mark is the bow and arrow, not the hood like everyone in this town says. You fight for justice with them, so make them your mark," she suggests. "Change it. Don't be the guy with the green hood," she tucks her hair behind her ear before she whispers. "Become the guy with the green arrows."

Oliver averts his eyes, nodding slowly. He sighs and tightens his hold around the metal arrow and bends down to retrieve his bow from the floor. Felicity watches him get closer to the window before he stops and spins around to look at her.

"Thank you," he smiles and then he starts crawling outside her window.

"Oliver!" she calls him before he gets out. He just looks at her, waiting.

"Next time, you can use the door," she giggles.

He laughs and jumps out of window anyway.

Felicity shakes her head and closes her window.

His last words resonate for while in her mind. She doesn't know exactly what he's thanking her for, but if it helps him she won't complain.


End file.
